2021 – Underwood Farm CL – Perfect For The Falkirk Wheel…
In the last blog post (read HERE) I mentioned that we had been at another site on our first trip and that it was worthy of a blog post as it was so good. The site in question is Underwood Farm CL on the outskirts of Longcroft and only a few miles from the Falkirk Wheel.
Here are some details on how to find it…
GPS – 55.989772, -3.916309
What3words – existence.divides.scary
Post Code – FK4 1ST
Phone – 07702 736610
Web Page – https://underwoodcaravanpark.co.uk/
Caravan & Motorhome Club Page
Underwood Farm is a Caravan & Motorhome Club CL which means you have to be a Club member to stay here. Their website is full of information about their site and what to do in the area, the main two attractions being the nearby Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies, both of which you can cycle to along the adjacent canal towpath.
You can check availability and book a pitch directly from their webpage which is a great feature.
The red pin on the left of the above satellite view is Underwood Farm and if you follow the black line, which is the Forth & Clyde Canal, you will see the blue pin which is the Falkirk Wheel.
We spent 5 nights on the site and we were very lucky to have 5 glorious days of sunshine and this enabled us to spend some time working on Bessie to get her match fit for the rest of the year. Cleaning inside and out and checking all the systems were the main priority along with getting the batteries fully charged again.
That done, it was time to relax and enjoy the first BBQs of the year…
It was good to sit out in the sunshine and polish off a bottle of wine with the BBQ which we thoroughly enjoyed but one of the highlights of this visit to Underwood Farm was to get a Chinese on the Saturday night. And not just any Chinese takeaway either! A 5 minute cycle back up the lane to the main road takes you to the Cotton House and it was superb. Check out their website HERE.
Because of the Covid restrictions the restaurant was closed and it was a takeaway service only. This place is so busy that you have to phone them from 2pm onwards, the earlier the better, and tell them when you will be there to pick it up. Hopefully by the time you read this the restrictions will be lifted but check on their website to make sure.
Although we are both from the Falkirk area we had never heard of it before, but then again it was 1996 when we left for England and then Argyll. It’s reputation is superb and people travel a long way to dine here so book ahead if you want to dine in the restaurant, especially at the weekend!
Also highly recommended by the site owners was Mango the Restaurant, a fine dining Indian restaurant and takeaway just an extra few minutes cycle away, but we did not have time to try it. Maybe next time! Check it out HERE.
Apart from the two restaurants/takeaways I’ve just mentioned, the main reason for visiting is the close proximity to the Falkirk Wheel either by walking or cycling along the Forth & Clyde canal towpath. The following picture taken from the canal towpath shows Bessie on pitch 5 at Underwood Farm CL.
We had the place to ourselves on the few days we were there and the following drone shot shows Bessie tucked away in the corner pitch and the closeness of the canal. The towpath is on this side of the canal so is very easy to access.
The above picture was taken from our pitch early one morning looking towards Longcroft and the eagle eyed will see two deer heading for the trees in the field just to the left of the telegraph pole.
On a bright and sunny morning we headed off along the Forth & Clyde canal towpath for a leisurely cycle to the Falkirk Wheel and we were there in less than 20 minutes. It was busy with walkers and cyclists but the towpath is wide and tarred (and level) so it was perfect to cycle along.
When we arrived at the Wheel the Visitor Centre was still closed as were all the other amenities apart from electric bike hire and an Airstream caravan which was busy dispensing drinks and snacks, even though the outdoor tables had notices on them saying they were not to be used. The signs were ignored by the patrons!
We hadn’t been at the Wheel for a number of years and, sad to say, there was an air of neglect about it. The few boats that were in the basin were tatty and rusting, as were parts of the buildings and equipment. Okay, it was early in the year and it was the first week out of lockdown and the staff were probably furloughed, but still, it will take a bit of elbow grease to get it back in tip top condition as befits one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions.
On the cycle back we saw some ducks, a cormorant and a heron all together but by the time I stopped and tried to get a decent picture they were gone, apart from the ducks who seemed disappointed this person stopping beside them did not have any bread about his person!
On examining the GoPro film I took from the handlebars of my bike I managed to extract a still picture to show the heron on the bank before it took flight.
This was the evening we had the Chinese takeaway from the Cotton House and it was delicious!
Sunday morning was another brilliant day and we wanted to make the most of it as the forecast for the following week was not good. We got back on the bikes and headed in the opposite direction today and if we had the energy and inclination we could have cycled all the way to Glasgow but as we had neither we turned back just after the underpass for the M80. This picture shows The Navigator streaking away in front of me, but in doing so she missed the spectacle of three deer enjoying the sunny weather and chilling beside a little burn.
You should be able to see the three deer above, but if not you can click the image and expand it.
We did not have much of a breakfast as the Chinese we had the night before had filled us up so when we got back to Bessie we put the bikes back in the garage and tidied up ready to depart the following morning. By mid afternoon we were now hungry and enjoyed another BBQ sitting out enjoying the last of the good weather for a while.
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CONCLUSION
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Underwood Farm CL and hope to be frequent visitors in the future. Owners, Sandy and Helen are attentive owners and deserve every success with their new CL (August 2020).
There are power and a tap on every pitch and the waste dumping is nearby. The motorhome drain was in an awkward position for a van of Bessie’s size but we just dumped the grey water at the next site we went to. Chocks might be advisable for those that have a thing about being perfectly level but it wasn’t an issue.
All in all I rate this as a 5 star CL and look forward to returning again this year.
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COMING UP NEXT…
We visit a new (to us) campsite near Loch Lomond.
We head for Belfast (not in the van) for a long overdue visit.
